Having a blast putting some of my ideas for patterns into action.
The scanner I was using gave up the ghost and my newest multifunction printer/scanner/copier/fax machine doesn't do a very good job so I had to resurrect an older scanner. I stopped using it when I bought a multifunction machine some time earlier. It's one of those things that end up working for the better cause I forgot how nice a job it did and how good the software worked. I gave up a lot of quality for the sake of convenience with the multi machine.
A good scanner and software doesn't cost much and yields great results. A definite must if you plan on creating your own patterns.

I got a nice letter from a fellow carving enthusiast this morning. He stated that he wanted to help me by telling me what the best of everything was. He stressed that I keep an open mind that even though I was advocating the Carvewright and Compucarve systems, eventually I would come to see that there were better products out there.

I don't take issue with what he had to say, nor do I dispute his right to feel that his experiences make him an authority. I honestly believe we are all entitled to our opinions and I will go down defending someone to uphold that right.

What I wish this gentleman would have done however, is to qualify his statements. In the advertising world, this is called confusing CLAIMS with FACTS. Stating "Windows XP is the best cnc operating system" is not a fact, but a claim. This doesn't mean that he doesn't feel that this is the best operating system because obviously he does or he wouldn't have made that statement. ...But tell me why you feel this way.

I was thinking about this letter and I began to wonder if I've made the same mistake... So I went through every inch of this website and read every thing one more time (this must be as least the 600th time) to see if I've made any claims.

Yes I have!! Many times. But in every instance I've explained why I feel the way I do. You may not agree with what I have to say, but at least you know why and how I came to my decision. This is important. You come away understanding how I think and my perspective might make you see things in a different light or from a different angle.

I truly want to thank this gentleman for writing. He helped me to see things and made me realize I need to double check my work. He also made me understand just how important it is to explain things fully. A tip and help site needs to keep these ideals at the forefront.

I plan to review more of what he wrote to me about. I can only learn from his experience.

I've been working on a number of patterns the last couple of weeks. It's taken me a bit of time to get comfortable with the software (which is to be expected). I think I still have a long way to go, but I feel I'm over the major hurdles. I got a good grasp of the basics and now I can go about trying to learn a new tidbit here and there.
This is the part of software use I like the most; finding those little things that make your project pop! It's like being on a treasure hunt and finding the magic ring.

nearly a month and a half ago i mentioned how i was not impressed with the process of registering the software.
up until a couple of days ago, i had been using a downloaded "evaluation" version of the software. finally, the eval period ended and it came time to register the software if i wanted to use it any further.
i tried and tried to get my version to register with no success. i tried everything and nothing would work. i finally decided to trash the whole application and install the version from my software distribution CD i got when i bought the machine. that part went ok and when i went to register everything went smooth as silk. i checked for any updates and there was one (from version 1.125 to 1.126).
i downloaded the new version and replaced the app with the newer version... again, no hitches. i then went to my shop computer and did the same thing (you can register and use the software on up to two computers). there too, the process was simple and painless.
i have no idea why the eval version gave me so many problems, but the distribution version was fine.
in a past occupation, i was a software developer and so i can understand why Carvewright wants to know who is using their software. it makes sense and by registering, it's an easy way to make sure your users are using the latest version. what i don't understand though, is why Carvewright doesn't just GIVE this software away. they have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain.
their machine is almost useless without patterns and projects - it begs for content.
give the software away and maybe there will be more people developing patterns, etc which will only help to spur more machine sales.